The narrative of Mainline Protestant decline is well established. Few people, however, understand how that decline has impacted the typical congregation in any given denomination. PC(USA) Decline The Presbyterian Church (USA) is the denomination I have been associated with longer than any other. In the past, I've shared extensively about the topic of PC(USA) membership decline, including PC(USA) Membership Declines by 62% (April 2022)PC(USA) Membership – 30 Years of Decline Read More …
average worship attendance
UCC Membership Decline: 2,193,593 to 773,539 (#1974)
Membership in all Mainline Protestant denominations has been in decline since before I was born. The United Church of Christ's membership decline is not extraordinary or unusual when compared to other Mainline Protestant denominations. Like many authors, I write about what I know and about what matters to me. As a result you'll find the greatest amount of information about membership decline in the two denominations I've invested more of my life in than the rest: United Church of Christ Read More …
Counting Online Ministry (#1212)
As the year draws to a close, leaders in many congregations are actively involved in crafting annual reports. Depending on your congregation's denomination, network or association, certain statistics may be required. In almost all congregations, there are other things that get counted throughout the year and are then reported to the congregation annually. When people talk about the size and scope of ministry in a given congregation and seek to compare it to that of another, the Read More …